Schooling the Prophet

Joseph Smith wasn’t merely the Book of Mormon’s prophetic translator—he was also a student of the sacred record. Gerald E. Smith's Schooling the Prophet offers evidence that the Latter-day Saint prophet was quietly influenced by one of the most important sources of religious thought and sacred protocol that he knew—the Book of Mormon—on issues such as the nature of God, priesthood, and the temple.

“Painstakingly researched and carefully written, Gerald Smith's study demonstrates how profoundly—and paradoxically, since Joseph Smith only occasionally cited it—the Book of Mormon shaped early Latter-day Saint theology and practice, including baptism, the sacrament, the temple, and the concept of Zion. Warmly to be recommended.”

—Stephen D. Ricks, Professor of Hebrew and Cognate Learning, Brigham Young University

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The views expressed in Maxwell Institute publications are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.